GDT: Devils vs. Rangers / Pride 7:00 PM MSG+2

[Sir Fenwick Corsi]

But we outshot them in the first period, and we outshot them overall. So I don't think the overcount, or the cruise control arguments can used to brush the game off.

Not to say we didn't get crushed. 6-1 is blowout no matter how you slice it. But given the shots, and the look of the game really, it's a certain kind of blowout.

How many games this season have we put up 35 shots? It just doesn't happen. Then sure enough they play at the garden where even looking at the net results in a shot on goal and we magically put up 35 shots on the best team in the league. It just does nothing for me. I know the score doesn't reflect the entire game but what it does do is correctly display how far apart these teams really are. It blows.

 

[Devils Dominion]

How many games this season have we put up 35 shots? It just doesn't happen. Then sure enough they play at the garden where even looking at the net results in a shot on goal and we magically put up 35 shots on the best team in the league. It just does nothing for me. I know the score doesn't reflect the entire game but what it does do is correctly display how far apart these teams really are. It blows.

It's a mismatch in speed and talent, no question.

But the person who registers SOG vs Lundy has an itchy trigger finger.
Boost up that Save Percentage.

 

[StnTwnDevil]

How many games this season have we put up 35 shots? It just doesn't happen. Then sure enough they play at the garden where even looking at the net results in a shot on goal and we magically put up 35 shots on the best team in the league. It just does nothing for me. I know the score doesn't reflect the entire game but what it does do is correctly display how far apart these teams really are. It blows.

The teams are a ways apart right now, but the score shouldn't have been anywhere near 6-1 by the way the game was played. Rangers recently had a game against the ducks where every shot they took went in. They didn't create many great plays, they just had one of those nights where the bounces were going their way. Every team can have them. Devils beat the Blues 6-1 last year in similar fashion. Rangers will normally beat the Devils at this point, simply because they have more scoring punch. But they don't normally outplay the Devils, resulting in a close loss. Next game won't be like this, unless the Rangers are extremely lucky.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Did you see the game? I wanted to give some observations last night but this place was like Bellevue before they hand out the sedation medication.

They played a very different game last night. They tried to be more aggressive and they tried to press the the play...they put up 35 shots on Lundqvist, when was the last time the Devils put up 35+ shots? For a few different stretch they were dominating the play, but like under DeBoer, they just don't have the horses to open up the play and when they do their goalie and young defense is hung out to dry. Like under DeBoer, almost everything was given up in transition with little forward support and the D caught scrambling to get back... it was clearly the game plan.

But in a situation like this and game like that I prefer to focus on the positives...Boucher and Matteau played very well again last night. Boucher looked more comfortable than he has since his first call up and he did a lot good things last night. Matteau in 15+ minutes of ice time had 2 shots and was one of the few players that wasn't a minus.

It's hard to look at 6-1 score and say that they didn't play bad but they didn't play bad.

I didn't see any of it unfortunately being up north but I'm glad to hear an open minded view of the game. I know that in getting the updates that I was shocked at the shot totals we put up.

I understand them trying to push a team like the Rangers but as you said, they don't have the type of firepower for that system. But at this point, this sounds like the type of game that you give that a shot to see what can happen. I've avoided the highlights, was Cory as bad as his stats showed too or was it just crappy luck?

 

[Devils Dominion]

I didn't see any of it unfortunately being up north but I'm glad to hear an open minded view of the game. I know that in getting the updates that I was shocked at the shot totals we put up.

I understand them trying to push a team like the Rangers but as you said, they don't have the type of firepower for that system. But at this point, this sounds like the type of game that you give that a shot to see what can happen. I've avoided the highlights, was Cory as bad as his stats showed too or was it just crappy luck?[/QUOTE



If the Devils finished a few golden chances early on, it would have been a tight game IMO.
The usual suspects could not bury their prime scoring opportunities (Zajac, Patty), then the Rags throw a puck at the net (after being a full stride offsides) and it ricochets off of Merrill and Nash and past Cory for a 1-0 lead.

Pretty much downhill from there though the Devils did generate good scoring chances in each period.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Does not have to be.

I would trade Cory for a completely different reason:
We already have Kinkid for free. That is a contender goalie under the right defense. Why have 2 awesome goalies and no offensive forwards? The balance is not there.

The problem with NJD is their over the board defensive style. No balance. Every player on that team is defense minded, including the forwards. Defense minded forwards will never score a lot, as their talent is divided (2 way forwards). Hence, so little goals.

Welcome to the board! Don't think I've spoken to you before.

Some thoughts I have in response to your post follow:

1) Kinkaid is a UFA this summer, so first we have to re-sign him, which I don't think will be to complicated, but Schneider is already signed long-term through what we can project to be prime years, and Kinkaid isn't.

2) Kinkaid has only played in about a dozen NHL games. I'm happy with his performance, but I'm not going to rely on him to emerge into an elite goalie like Schneider already is when I make a decision about the future's organization. If Kinkaid does emerge over a long sample size of games (for instance, if he backs up Schneider all throughout Schneider's contract and performs at a high level), then the organization near the end of Cory's contract could face a decision about which goalie they want to rely on going forward and which goalie they might be able to explore trade options with. To me, though, it really doesn't make sense to trade Schneider because we have Kinkaid until around the trade deadline of Cory's last season under contract, but that's only if Kinkaid emerges as a truly elite goalie in that timeframe.The time to trade Cory, if at all, is years out, in my opinion.

3) After this draft, I'm pretty confident that we will have a talented young forward, whether acquired by our top pick (which I think is most likely) or by a trade. The forward probably won't be NHL ready this year, but in a year or two would probably be ready to start making an impact. And if we struggle again next year, we're looking at another high draft pick that would likely be a forward. If elite forwards really are the answer to everything, we're acquiring them in the most reliable way (early draft picks), but unlike Edmonton, we have a goalie and defense core in place, so we could actually use the elite forwards to form a contending team.

4) I really don't have a quibble with a defensive style. The LA Kings were also built from the net out (same model Lou uses) and they are reigning Stanley Cup Champions. A team doesn't have to be built with a defensive style in order to win, but it definitely can be. The Devils organization has established an identity rooted in strong defense and goaltending. Within that template, the Devils have found success in the past and are laying the foundation to hopefully have more success within that framework again. It will take time to build, but it will take even longer if we knock over the bricks that we've already cemented in place and try to build a completely foreign structure. There's really no need to change what has made this organization successful in the past when other teams show that the model still is relevant. In fact, I would argue that the decreased scoring throughout the league illustrates that the importance of defense and goaltending is on the rise again. Bottom line is that I don't think the Devils are going to change their organizational philosophy (nor should they really), so fans should embrace the philosophy and not expect an interest in high-octane offense to take center stage.

5) I would make a distinction between true two-way forwards (guys like Toews, Bergeron, Kesler, Kopitar, and Datsyuk, etc.) and pure defensive/checking forwards. I think two-way forward has become something of a dirty word among Devils fans because the Devils have had a glut of pure defensive/checking forwards and a shortage of true two-way forwards recently. True two-way forwards are equally competent to elite offensively and defensively and now how to translate from defense to offense and vice versa so neither side of their game suffers. True two-way forwards are very talented, so they can be hard to find, but when you have one or two on your team, you are looking at a player who can be very valuable in pursuit of a championship. Basically, the problem with the Devils is we have too many pure checking forwards and not enough true two-way forwards. The problem is with the personnel, not the philosophy about two-way play.

Just my thoughts, and welcome again!

 

[SeidoN]

Ruutu's goal credited to Josefson now

 

[Devils Dominion]

This was our most lopsided loss to the Rags since 1996

 

[tr83]

This was our most lopsided loss to the Rags since 1996

That loss in Yankee stadium was worse IMO. That team didn't show up to play and got whooped. Last night had 2 terrible bounces and if Patty and Travis learn to lift the puck, we would have had at least 3 last night

 

[njdevils1982]

That loss in Yankee stadium was worse IMO. That team didn't show up to play and got whooped. Last night had 2 terrible bounces and if Patty and Travis learn to lift the puck, we would have had at least 3 last night

agreed….having a 3-1 lead only to see 6 straight goals against and marty being embarrassed on national broadcast in a highly hyped game….not to mention the countless amount of terrible odd man rushes against.

a truly disgusting game.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Definitely agree about the loss in Yankee stadium being worse because of the terrible blown lead and Marty being embarrassed on national television.

I hope that the Devils can have a bounce back game on Tuesday. It's an opportunity for them to be resilient and to not be intimidated by being blown out yesterday. Good chance for the team to show their mettle.

 

[Bleedred]

I forgot all about the Yankee Stadium game. I take back what I said last night, that game last year was the worst effort against the Rangers ever.

 

[Sir Fenwick Corsi]

Better hope NJ shows up to play on Tuesday because it's going to be miserable for the faithful in the stands if they don't. I'm purely speculating, but considering how our season has gone, we're probably looking at 50 - 60% Rangers fans in the building on Tuesday. And these type of crowds usually tend to bring out the bottom of the barrel pond scum of their fan base. That's why making this game fan appreciation night is of such poor judgement, I don't even know where to start.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Better hope NJ shows up to play on Tuesday because it's going to be miserable for the faithful in the stands if they don't. I'm purely speculating, but considering how our season has gone, we're probably looking at 50 - 60% Rangers fans in the building on Tuesday. And thesce type of crowds usually tend to bring out the bottom of the barrel pond scum of their fan base. That's why making this game fan appreciation night is of such poor judgement, I don't even know where to start.

I think you're right on all your points.

Will def have the most Rags fans ever at The Rock tues night and most likely the majority for a game for the first time in NJ since the early 90s.

And get this.
Since the start of last night's game, more than 160 more tix were listed on stubhub. And its not rags fans listing them.

Handing out Devils team posters, half if which will be ripped, and pucks to thousands of Rags fans was a bad idea by Hugh Weber.

Should have had puck night vs the kings or ducks and Fan Appreciation night vs Montreal.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

I forgot all about the Yankee Stadium game. I take back what I said last night, that game last year was the worst effort against the Rangers ever.

Best to block that Yankee Stadium game from the mind and delete from the memory banks as much as possible. What a disaster that was.

 

[Sir Fenwick Corsi]

I think you're right on all your points.

Will def have the most Rags fans ever at The Rock tues night and most likely the majority for a game for the first time in NJ since the early 90s.

And get this.
Since the start of last night's game, more than 160 more tix were listed on stubhub. And its not rags fans listing them.

Handing out Devils team posters, half if which will be ripped, and pucks to thousands of Rags fans was a bad idea by Hugh Weber.

Should have had puck night vs the kings or ducks and Fan Appreciation night vs Montreal.

I'd like to think they will be smart enough not to give out any merchandise to the Rangers fans but that would make too much sense so we'll see I guess.

And for what it's worth, I really can't blame anyone for selling their tickets and not wanting to get involved with the potential fiasco that this game may become. It will be pretty ****ed up to watch the Rangers get saluted off our ice for the last home game of the season. Going through that in 2008 was plenty enough. Never again. You literally couldn't pay me to go to Tuesday's game. I just really hope the team pulls together and comes up with their best game of the season. The fans who will be there and who have been going consistently through a tough year like this, well they really really really deserve it.

 

[OmNomNom]

I'd like to think they will be smart enough not to give out any merchandise to the Rangers fans but that would make too much sense so we'll see I guess.

They won't and can't. They can't deny service to anyone who buys tickets sadly, I hate the league for scheduling the rangers game as the last home game, bc I suspect the owners felt like they owed fans free stuff for the final game. But it's gonna be a mess, win or lose. Papers guaranteed everywhere, and you know pucks will be thrown -_-

 

[Devils Dominion]

I'd like to think they will be smart enough not to give out any merchandise to the Rangers fans but that would make too much sense so we'll see I guess.

And for what it's worth, I really can't blame anyone for selling their tickets and not wanting to get involved with the potential fiasco that this game may become. It will be pretty ****ed up to watch the Rangers get saluted off our ice for the last home game of the season. Going through that in 2008 was plenty enough. Never again. You literally couldn't pay me to go to Tuesday's game. I just really hope the team pulls together and comes up with their best game of the season. The fans who will be there and who have been going consistently through a tough year like this, well they really really really deserve it.

Every fan in attendance will receive a Devils puck sponsored by Prudential.

If this game had playoff implications for NJD, very few Devils fans would sell nor should they.

But, it doesn't mean much of anything, and if Devils fans want to sell and cash in, Happy Selling to them.

But I hope they at least charge well above box office price and make the Rags fans at cough up some cash.

If Hugh Weber and his minions have any common sense, they will hand out the pucks postgame.

Also a better idea to hand out the posters pregame so the surrounding area is not littered with ripped up posters.
You know the type of Rags fan that will be there will shred them since they are tough guys.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Every fan in attendance will receive a Devils puck sponsored by Prudential.

If this game had playoff implications for NJD, very few Devils fans would sell nor should they.

But, it doesn't mean much of anything, and if Devils fans want to sell and cash in, Happy Selling to them.

But I hope they at least charge well above box office price and make the Rags fans at cough up some cash.

If Hugh Weber and his minions have any common sense, they will hand out the pucks postgame.

Also a better idea to hand out the posters pregame so the surrounding area is not littered with ripped up posters.
You know the type of Rags fan that will be there will shred them since they are tough guys.

Pucks are generally handed out post game because of the issue of throwing them.

Every puck I've gotton at a game was post game.

 

[tr83]

Pucks are generally handed out post game because of the issue of throwing them.

Every puck I've gotton at a game was post game.

I hope the cops are out in full force handing out littering tickets when the Ranger fans throw them somewhere in the street